1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an adaptable mobile communications networks and, more particularly, to an ad-hoc mobile network for adaptable wireless communications in an unstructured environment such as a tactical battlefield.
2. Background Description
Tactical radio communications rely heavily on mobile radio networks and systems that are continually changing while in use. Emerging tactical battlefield networks typically include a collection of mobile autonomous host nodes or terminals that support numerous mobile clients. Unlike a typical commercial mobile telephone network, for example, these mobile nodes are not connected together by fixed land based connections (e.g., hard wired), but continually move into and out of radio communication range with each other. Consequently, one generally cannot rely on a pre-defined fixed infrastructure within this type of environment. Moreover, the nodes may be destroyed, or new nodes may join the network. Thus, such a mobile, wireless network may be considered dynamically changing and so, infrastructure-less or “ad-hoc” in that the nodes and node locations dynamically change over time. As a result, the connectivity among the nodes may vary with time.
Since a typical wireless ad-hoc network lacks fixed communications nodes (e.g., base stations) to define the network, a group of autonomous nodes or terminals serve to define the network. The autonomous nodes form a decentralized multi-hop radio network and communicate with each other to maintain connectivity. Each node may represent radio communication devices that may be located with a person (such as a war-fighter), located on/in a ground or an air vehicles platform, e.g., an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV), and an Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV). As is typical with any network, such a wireless ad-hoc network can be represented graphically by a set of time varying vertices representing network nodes with edges between nodes that are capable of communicating with each other. So, at any particular time, for example, the network nodes may be represented as a set of points that indicate the node locations at that instant. A graph edge or line between two vertices indicates that the two nodes are connected, i.e., the corresponding nodes can reach each other (or communicate) by a radio link. So, each line represents a radio link between two communicating nodes. Two radio nodes are said to be communicating if the link quality is above a predefined threshold, e.g., where the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is above a predefined threshold. Nodes are communicating indirectly or through an indirect path in a path that passes through at least one intermediate node.
Normally, each mobile node in a wireless ad-hoc network can communicate at least with one or more neighboring mobile nodes that are a single radio hop away. Since, typically, the wireless ad-hoc network is operating in the absence of fixed radio relay base stations; each mobile node operates not only as a host but also as a router to relay communications from other connected nodes. Thus, the nodes are typically forwarding/relaying information packets between other mobile nodes in the wireless ad-hoc network that may not be within direct wireless transmission range of each other. So, network control is distributed among the nodes and each node participates in an ad-hoc routing protocol that allows it to discover “multi-hop” paths through the network to any other node.
Further, since the nodes are mobile, and because of node departures and additions, the network topology may change rapidly and unpredictably over time. Nodes can fail, for example, if they are destroyed or due to hard or soft failures which occur in the battlefield. Typical radio communication effects, such as noise, fading, and interference, can impede communications and prevent some nodes from connecting to others. Consequently, for reliable communications the wireless ad-hoc network must be able to compensate for variable link quality. Wireless propagation path loss, fading, multi-user interference, distance between nodes and signal strength variations can all affect connection quality. In addition, operating area/network topology losses can further interfere with communications. Changes in propagation conditions and the environment, such as inclement weather, and irregular terrain (e.g., interrupted by mountains and buildings), for example, can interfere with network communications. Thus, changes in propagation conditions and the environment, as well as the unpredictability of node movements and sporadic node failures, can contribute to the dynamic nature of an ad-hoc network. Further, when links between nodes break, the network can be split into isolated sub-networks. Such a break in the network can create a situation where some nodes cannot communicate with others, i.e., there are absolutely no direct or indirect paths between these nodes. In this case, the network is said to be “partitioned.” These problems are even further complicated in a military environment where the preservation of security, latency, reliability, intentional jamming, and recovery from failure are significant concerns.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has instituted an initiative known as the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) to provide a flexible new approach to meeting diverse war-fighter communications needs through software-programmable tactical radio technology or “software defined radios (SDRs).” In particular, these SDRs are intended for voice, data and video communications across a battle-space. However, beyond the battlefield, the JTRS may have application for initiatives in areas as diverse as homeland security, Federal, state and local law enforcement, search and rescue, commercial aviation and international commercial applications. The JTRS implements the concept of relay and translation nodes (land, sea, air and space based) to help ensure that tactical users can access required information wherever it resides. To accomplish this, however, nodes must be able to communicate with each other in spite of links being broken frequently as nodes move, randomly fail, or are destroyed e.g., in enemy or unintentional attacks.
Accordingly, there is a need for an ad-hoc mobile network that can adapt well to link changes, and in particular to interconnectivity changes between ad-hoc mobile network nodes. Further, there is a need to maintain network-wide connectivity in ad-hoc networks, i.e., maintaining communication paths, either node-to-node or by multiple-node-hopping and routing, that allows any two nodes to maintain communication with one another.